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Be aware of changes in CCA school board election ballot

Submitted by admin on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 5:41pm

Pitlick wants out, Kinney wants back in

North Liberty Leader
OXFORD– There are two significant changes in the upcoming school board election for the Clear Creek Amana school district.
As of the candidate filing deadline of Aug. 1, CCA board president Eileen Schmidt was set to face current board member Aimee Pitlick for one at-large seat in the Sept. 10 election. Pitlick currently holds the at-large seat with Schmidt representing District Two. Both were elected to the board in 2009.
However, Pitlick has withdrawn from the race, citing personal reasons for her decision to pull out of the election after having filed the necessary papers to be a candidate.
Also, former board member Kevin Kinney is organizing a write-in campaign for the vacant seat in Director District No. 2, which includes Oakdale, Coralville and the southern end of the district. Kinney left the board at the expiration of his term in 2011.
The district is divided into four divisions, and as a result of the 2010 census, the divisions were changed in an effort to keep each as close to a population of 3,000 as possible. The board approved the boundary changes in April 2012 and they took effect in July 2012. The September election will be the first for the new divisions.
Division One includes Oxford and the NW corner of the district, and is represented by Rick Hergert. His seat is not open this election cycle. District Two includes Oakdale, Coralville and the southern end of the district, with Kinney as the write-in candidate for that area.
Division three is roughly the middle of the district and now includes Tiffin. Steve Swenka is the incumbent and will face challenger Lisa Beckman. Swenka would have faced Schmidt (a resident of Tiffin) had she not opted for the at-large seat.
Division four is the smallest and covers North Liberty. Seelman will defend his seat against CCA facilities committee co-chair Malinda Lamb.
Also on the ballot will be a measure to extend the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). If approved, the levy, which is set to expire in December 2015, would continue for an additional ten years. The levy provides additional funds to the school district for such purposes as purchasing new school buses, technology purchases, maintenance equipment and building maintenance. The money does not go into the district’s general fund and cannot be used to pay employee salaries. The levy is to not exceed 67 cents per $1,000 dollars of assessed valuation.
Voters will also be asked to approve an instructional equipment levy for Kirkwood Community College to begin July 1, 2015 and run for 10 consecutive years at the rate of six cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The election will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 10, with polls open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. The voter pre-registration deadline is Friday, Aug. 30, at 5 p.m. For those wishing to vote by absentee ballot, the deadline for requesting a ballot by mail is Friday, Sept. 6, and they must be postmarked by Monday, Sept. 9, in order to be counted. Voters may continue to register at the polls on election day.